


In Return

by dreamsdark



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Gen, Kind of a sickfic, Lukas-centric, The Deliverance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 19:06:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14455812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamsdark/pseuds/dreamsdark
Summary: Kindness returns itself eventually.





	In Return

**Author's Note:**

> (crying) i just want lukas to have nice things

Someone was calling his name.

Lukas was sure of that, but not much else. “Yes?” he acknowledged, trying to look in the general direction of the voice. For some reason, every noise seemed to blend together.

“Back here, buddy!” Behind him? 

“Ah, Gray.” Just one of Alm’s friends. “Did you require something?” He squinted, but the harsh sunlight kept him from getting a clear view. He hoped it was actually Gray, or that would’ve been an embarrassing mistake. Perhaps he shouldn’t have used a name in his address…

“Nah, you just look red? And it’s hot out, so.” Luckily for Lukas, it was in fact Gray. He gesticulated something Lukas couldn’t quite figure out—or even follow, with how fast his hands moved. “Doin’ okay?”

So that was it. “You needn’t concern yourself with me.”

“Sure?” 

“Quite.” Gray didn’t look convinced but didn’t pursue it further either, to Lukas’s immense relief.

So much so that he collapsed then and there, Gray’s concerned cry being the last thing he heard.

* * *

His skin  _burned_. Like ants were crawling over his skin, itching and biting and—

Lukas threw the thin blanket off himself, shooting upright. It was unbearably hot; the kind that stole away a bit of his breath every time he dared to breathe. 

 _Water, water—is that…?_  "Python?” he croaked. The archer was sitting on the ground with his neck bent at an awkward angle for his head to rest on one of his knees, eyes closed. “Python!” he called out more urgently, then coughed. 

“Finally up, Lukas?” 

Lukas couldn’t respond if he tried; the one cough led to another and another until he was clutching at his chest, desperately trying to keep air in his lungs. 

“Easy there.” Python steadied him with a hand on his back, holding a cup of water to Lukas’s lips which he drank gratefully. Half of it ended up spilling down his chin, but it was enough to soothe his throat temporarily. “You alright?”

Lukas didn’t trust his voice, so he just nodded. Still parched, he looked around for more water in vain.

“I’d give you more water, but that might make you sick or something?” Python said, somehow reading his thoughts. “Can’t have the Deliverance’s finest out of commission too long…stay here, I’ll get you someone.” He ducked out of the tent without any further explanation, leaving Lukas alone to puzzle out the details of his situation. 

Had he been injured in battle? He couldn’t find any visible injury on himself, and he wasn’t wearing any sort of cast besides. No, that wasn’t right—they hadn’t even been in a battle recently.

“Glad to see you awake.” Silque entered, with Faye following. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

“Already?” She felt his forehead with the back of her hand. “You’re still warm, though.” Was he sick? “Faye, bring me that water.”

“On it!” She refilled the cup Python had earlier, from some jug of water Lukas couldn’t place no matter how much he strained to look.

“Don’t worry, we’re here to take care of you.” Silque took the cup from Faye’s hands, giving it to him with a warning of, “Try to drink slowly, alright?” 

Going against his instincts, he followed Silque’s directions, taking careful sips. “Why am I here?”

“You collapsed!” Faye exclaimed at the same time Silque explained, “Heatstroke.”

“Ah.” Had it really been that hot? Trying to remember made his head spin. “My apologies, then. I must have misjudged my capability to tolerate heat.”

“What? Don’t apologize! Just take better care of your—” Faye cut off suddenly, flushing. “Eep! Didn’t mean to shout, sorry!” 

Silque smiled. “She has a point, though. You mustn’t overextend yourself.”

Lukas nodded; he didn’t plan on it. “And where are we?”

“Still some ways away from the sluice gate.”

“Everyone’s tuckered out from the heat, so I guess we stopped early?” Faye added. “We’ve got a big battle ahead…” She stared off into the distance, lost in her own thoughts until Silque prodded her shoulder.

“You should try it now, Faye.”

“It? Oh, you mean—wait, on Lukas? What if I…”

“You know the theory perfectly, Faye. Be confident.”

“Alright…” Faye took a deep breath, steadying herself. “If I may?” She summoned her staff, holding it next to Lukas’s head and murmuring a prayer. Somehow, the room then felt cooler, his vision clearer. “That should help with your temperature—did it?”

“Yes, Faye. Thank you.” A wave of exhaustion swept over him, his eyes falling shut.

“Silque’s been teaching me some non-combat healing magic, but this is the first I’ve actually tried it.”

“A side effect of the spell is to cause sleep,” Silque reminded.

“Oh, we should leave you to rest—be well!”

Lukas would’ve responded were he not already lost in his dreams.

* * *

It was Mathilda who greeted him shortly after he woke up, still in full armor. “Good evening.”

“Isn’t it hot?” Lukas asked in a brief lapse of propriety, then immediately wished he could take back his words. “Apologies, I’m still a bit—”

Mathilda laughed, taking it in stride. “You needn’t apologize for such a harmless question. I’m not your superior anymore, besides.” That was right—Alm had even offered to restore her previous position, but she’d declined herself, insisting she’d prove her own merit first. 

“Really, I…I’d rather not be caught off-guard again,” she confessed with an odd faraway look in her eyes.

“I see.” Lukas knew he wouldn’t understand how it felt being held prisoner, especially as a hostage, so he refrained from saying more. 

“That’s not the reason I came to see you, though—I heard you were the one who recruited Alm?”

Lukas nodded—talking was still somewhat painful.

“I’ll admit, when I first saw him…a fine warrior, certainly, but a leader? I had my doubts.” It was true that being as young as he was, a leader was not exactly the first impression Alm gave off. “But after fighting even these few battles—your judgement is truly impeccable, Lukas.”

“It was chance more than anything,” he had to interject. _Alm practically recruited himself._

“Perhaps. Still, I doubt I would have enlisted his help were I the one sent to fetch Sir Mycen.”

“…Perhaps.” There were a lot of circumstances that could have been changed, but Lukas found it more tiring to dwell on them than anything.

Mistaking his hesitation as exhaustion, she got up to leave. “Right, I shouldn’t bother you too much—we’ll be marching tomorrow. If you’d like, I can lend you my steed.”

“I’ll be fine, but thank you for the offer.” Looking like she was about to say more, Mathilda left.

* * *

The sun had completely set when Lukas went outside, using the light of the few torches still lit around camp to find his way to their temporary armory. If they were marching tomorrow, he’d rather have his armor close by when they’d have to get ready.

As he neared it, he could hear two very distinct voices: “Forsyth, it looks  _fine_ , why don’t you just call it a day already?”

“For an archer, one would think you’d have a keener eye! Don’t you see all these scratches?”

“Scratches won’t kill a guy.”

“…Is that my armor?” 

“Lukas!” Forsyth dropped the red pauldron he was holding, looking like a child caught red-handed with a sweet. “I, I—”

“Feelin’ better?” Python asked offhandedly. “Oh, Fors here figured he could do you a favor by fixin’ up your armor for you.” 

Said person had already picked up his dropped pauldron, hastily dusting it. “I’m almost finished..!”

Curious, Lukas looked at the rest of his armor, laid out carefully beside them. His red-tinted reflection stared back from his breastplate. “...Impressive.” 

“Thank you!” Forsyth almost saluted, dropping his hand awkwardly just as it touched his forehead.

Python snickered. “Didn’t think shinin’ till you could see yourself in it was a real thing, but…Forsyth here’s determined to prove me wrong, eh?”

“And I did!”

“Thank you both,” Lukas said sincerely. “I’ll be taking these back—”

“But I’m not done!” Forsyth blurted out.

“It is my armor…”

“R-right. Let me help you carry it back, at least?”

“I can handle—”

“Sure you  _can_ , but you don’t have to,” Python interrupted. “‘s what we’re here for.”

For a few seconds, Lukas was silent. “…I’d appreciate the help, Forsyth,” he finally admitted.

“Glad to be of service!” He quickly but carefully gathered up most of parts of the armor. “Python, don’t just stand there!”

“Hey, I didn’t say  _I_  was gonna help.” Despite his grumbling, he picked up the remaining pieces. “Lead the way, chief.”

Smiling faintly, Lukas did exactly that.

**Author's Note:**

> i started this in june and straight up abandoned it for almost a year?? why  
> pushed myself to finish it somehow  
> also discovered i can't really...write mathilda...
> 
> anyway i just want people to be nice to lukas  
> let him rest...
> 
> my twitter's @core_shift if u wanna hmu


End file.
